Prey
by MakeACircuitWithMe
Summary: There's more to life than what's expected when a young femme is transformed from something unwanted to something precious to her very species' survival AU/G1, OC
1. Prelude to Prey

_Oh! It burns! It burns! It burns! I gotta make it stop! I can't take this anymore! Why is this happening to me? Why? _

The dark haired girl was almost frantic. She walked through the center of the village, her eyes darting from side to side, seeking a suitable solution to her problem. So far she wasn't having any luck, her situation beginning to feel dire.

_Why this? Why me? Hasn't my life been wretched enough? Aren't I enough of an outcast?_

Wringing the tattered edge of her filthy tunic between shaking hands, she reflected on just how wretched it had been. She'd been abandoned at the door of a childless couple as an infant. They cared for her until the day they produced a child of their own, and she was abruptly thrown out into the cold. She'd been 5, and had wandered alone since then.

She found shelter where she could, often sneaking into barns and animal pens after their masters had retired for the night. She sought the animals for warmth on cold nights, and more often than not, ate what they left behind in their troughs. She had learned to be up and gone long before sunrise; the beatings she received were lessons quickly learned.

She had longed for the day she would come of age, figuring it to be the answer to her problems. Men always had a use for women, and she had hoped one would have use for her. The indignities couldn't be worse than what she'd already suffered, and if they meant a roof over her head and an occasional meal, she would suffer them quietly. When her time finally came, she found that instead of deliverance, the fates had heaped one more curse upon her.

_It's just not fair. Please? Please make this all stop._

Her pace quickened and her eyes darted from man to man. None of them showing any interest her. More than once she earned scowls and curses from women she passed, some dragged their mates away from her view.

_It's like they know. They know just by looking at me._

She'd learned a new kind of fear these last few years. Fear of discovery. She knew how her kind was treated when discovered. She'd listened to the storytellers' tales. They were all the same. Death was the only mercy her kind was ever shown. She had never met another like her, probably never would. Somewhere along the line, she decided that was for the best.

_The burning, please make it stop! It has to stop! Please! I can't take it anymore! _

Wringing her tunic tighter, she worried there would be no end to her suffering here. The men of this village would not be so eager to take her; to help her. She could feel the panic taking firm hold of her as the burning increased.

_Please? Please let there be a way! Please?_

Her pleas seemingly answered when a man appeared directly in front of her. He was taller than her, with dark hair and sharp eyes. His skin pale…_and clean._

When he smiled at her, she was caught off guard.

When he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the forest beyond the village, she offered no resistance. Instead she offered the fates her silent gratitude and tried to keep pace with him.


	2. Prey

The man didn't say anything as he strode through the forest, his steps quick and sure. His grip on the girl's arm unrelenting. She struggled to keep up with him, her bare feet often tangling in exposed roots or slipping in the mud. When she would falter and fall, he merely tightened his grip and dragged her behind him until she could catch her feet again. He never turned to look at her.

_Isn't this good enough? Can't we just stop here? Where are you taking me?_

She didn't dare speak the words out loud. She feared his reaction – feared he would consider her more trouble than she was worth and abandon her. Right now she needed this man, and losing him was something she just couldn't risk.

She had gone with the man without question, instinctively knowing that he was the key to quelling the inferno raging in her veins. Knowing that his flesh is what hers required. What she couldn't possibly have imagined was how much her mere proximity to him would fan the flames ravaging her, increasing her pain exponentially. How the simple touch of his fingers would sear against her arm. How the smell of him would fill her lungs and make her heart race. How desperately she wanted _...needed…_ to taste his pale skin.

_Please can't we just stop here? Here is good. Please? The burning. It hurts. It hurts sooo much. I can't take this pain anymore. It has to stop. It has to go away. You were supposed to make it go away, but you're just making it worse. I need this burning to go away now! I need YOU now! Stop here! Please? Please stop here!_

Her pleas unspoken, went unanswered.

His foot landed heavily on a fallen limb, shattering it with a thunderous crack that echoed through the trees. High above them, frightened birds took wing, filling the air with their shrill cries and angry cackles. Their frantic wing beats mimicking the girl's racing heart. Distracted by the commotion above, she turned her attention away from the man, searching the skies for the fleeing creatures. In doing so, she failed to see the branch he had so casually stepped over.

There was no grace to be had when her legs collided with the limb. Their momentum propelled her forward. Her arm slid from his grasp and she flailed about, frantically trying to right herself.

She failed.

When she made contact with the unforgiving earth, her teeth came together over the delicate flesh of her lip. She felt the sharp, burning sting rising from her forearms and palms, in the same instant that she tasted her own blood flowing across her tongue.

She lay there, on the forest floor, among the dirt and fallen leaves, for a moment and collected herself. She blinked her eyes slowly and sat up on her knees, wiping the hair from her face as she did. She ran her tongue gingerly over the swell of her lip, and tasted copper. She leaned back on her knees, and began to carefully wipe away the tiny rocks embedded in her arms. She winced with each stinging wave of her hands.

Lost to her own moment, she didn't notice that the man had crouched down before her and was examining her with piercing blue eyes. Unmoving and silent, he scanned her top to bottom, mentally cataloguing and analyzing her injuries.

She jumped with a start when she did finally notice him. Her heart leapt up in her chest and a tiny yelp escaped her. The color flashing across her cheeks alternated between blush and pallor. Mouth agape, she knelt there and started in to his eyes, and felt a fresh wave of fire pour over her.

_Grab him! Just do it! Do it now! Grab him and pull him down to you!_

The sound of her own heart beating filled her ears. The tips of her fingers flexed in and out hesitantly.

_What are you waiting for? How much more of this misery can you stand? Grab him and end this now!_

He cocked his head slightly to the side, and in one fluid motion, grabbed her by the arm, wrenching her to her feet as he stood. Without saying a word, he continued to make his way through the trees, taking the girl with him.

_NO! NO! You could have had him! Why didn't you just grab him? You had the chance – why didn't you take it? Why? He could have been yours! And this pain, this burning, it would be over…_

She shuttered her eyes and swallowed hard. The weight of regret hung heavy in her belly. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed that the dark, dappled light of the forest was being consumed by a warm glow. The large trees were being replaced by saplings and thickets. They were nearing the far edge of forest. He had brought her clear through to the other side!

Slowly, quietly, the tiny voice inside her offered up its concerns. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to silence it again – finding it much harder to do this time. Her stomach churned and her mind mulled over the possible outcomes, all of them frightening. But the burning, the pain, and the hopeful promise of ending it, kept her with him.

_It'll be ok. It will. Wherever he's taking me, we're almost there. And this time, I won't be afraid! This time I WILL take him! I WILL! I will take him and this pain will stop! I WILL NOT BE AFRAID! I CAN do this! I WILL do this! It's almost over. We're almost there. We're almost there._

Her heart pounded ferociously beneath her ribs. She could taste the bile rising in her throat. The pit in her stomach heavier than it had ever been.

And still she went with him.

The man stepped into the last tangle of bramble, pulling the girl with him. He slid through confidently, his every step well calculated, while she struggled.

The branches and twigs he so casually pushed aside, whipped back to lash at her. She raised her free arm in an effort to shield her face, almost instantly regretting the decision when the switches stung at the barely fresh wounds on her arm. A stray thorn bush bit at her bare legs and snared the ragged edge of her tunic. She winced and hissed through gritted teeth, choking back louder cries.

The tattered fabric tore as he pulled her free of the forest's dark grasp, and they took their first steps into the lush green meadow beyond.

The sudden brilliance blinded her, and she stumbled through the grass, squinting and blinking, desperate for her eyes to adjust to the new light. The man seemed unaffected, and no longer hindered by the trees, his pace quickened. They made their way toward the center of the field. The soft blades crushed beneath their feet and rustled in the errant gust of wind.

He gave no warning when he stopped abruptly and pivoted on his toe, swinging the girl around. At the height of the arc, he released his hold on her arm and sent her careening backwards through the tall grass. Her arms pinwheeled, but ultimately she lost the battle and landed hard on her rump. The wind nearly knocked out of her.

She looked up at the man, questioning his actions, and found him scanning the meadow with those sharp blue eyes. His dark hair whipped about when the air rose again across the field. He remained undistracted, and continued surveying the landscape.

_He's looking for something._

The thought presented itself clearly in her mind.

_What is he looking for? __**WHO**__ is he looking for?_

She latched on to the last thought. The fear rose in her like the bile in her throat.

_He knows! He knows and there's others! They found out! Somehow they found out! I was careless! I was careless and now they know! He's looking for the others! He's waiting for them! And when they come…_

Her heart threatened to rip itself free from the confines of her chest. She fought to control her breathing as it came in short, raspy gasps. She fought to keep control, her fears snapping at her viciously.

_I should have taken him when I had the chance. Now, now it's too late. Now, it's over. Now I wait for them to do with me as they will._

Another strong blast of air traveled over the field, blowing her dark hair across her face. She wiped it away to find him looking down at her with those piercing blue eyes again.

"Stand up."

His words were simple; commanding. His voice clear and refined.

"I said, 'stand up'."

Hesitantly, she obeyed. Her legs nervously quaked as she stood before him. His face expressionless. His eyes penetrated her to her core. She felt her lip begin to tremble.

"Show yourself."

His words were spoken quick and to-the-point. The girl stood before him motionless, frozen in fear. He took a step toward her – her heart leapt with his footfall.

"I said, 'show yourself'."

His tone was calm, but forceful. She swallowed hard, trying to return her frantic heart to its rightful place. The pit in her belly grew heavier with each passing moment. Slowly, and with shaking hands, she moved to follow his command.

She closed her eyes, gathered the tattered and torn remains of her tunic in her trembling fingertips, and raised the fabric up over her thighs. She hesitated, drawing a deep breath before drawing the material higher, exposing her hips and the soft curve of her belly. She stood before him and waited.

To her dismay, the man snickered in disgust and turned away from her. His hair floated about his head as another blast of wind traveled over the meadow. Confused and more afraid than ever, the girl stood frozen in place.

The man turned back to face her. He took another step closer to her.

"Did you not understand me when I told you to show yourself?"

His eyes glared painfully into hers. There was no mistaking the agitation that tainted his words.

She trembled before him, but didn't reply. He took another step. His eyes didn't waiver from hers. When he raised his foot to move again, she quickly lifted the tunic and slipped it over her head, shedding it once and for all.

A sharp blast of air caught her hair and sent a wave of gooseflesh down her fully exposed body. Terrified fingers let the battered fabric fall to the ground.

Her large, fright-filled eyes didn't miss the way his lip twitched and threatened to curl into a sneer. Nor did they miss the way his nostrils flared in rapid succession.

"Apparently, you _DID_ misunderstand me."

He took another step toward her. The icy undertone in his words bit at what little self control she had left.

"I told you to show yourself. This is of no interest to me," he said waving his hand dismissively at her. "Show me. Show me your true form _NOW! _I do not have the patience for any more games."

He made it quite clear that it was not a request.

"I d-d-don't know what you mean. This is m-m-my true form."

She looked around the field in sheer terror.

_It's a trap! He knows and it's a trap! How does he know? The others! He brought others! They're coming for me! They'll take me from here! They'll take me …and …and…_

He stood firm and observed her. He watched as her eyes darted about the field, frantically searching for something. He listened to her rapid, shallow breathing. He heard the barely audible whimpers that escaped her parted and trembling lips.

He lowered his gaze and backed away from her. He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.

His movement caught her attention. In the frenzy of her panic stricken state, some small part of her recognized that his expression, like his demeanor, had softened.

She began to realize, with stunning clarity, that everything about him seemed to soften. To blur. Her senses threatened to shut down entirely when she became aware that his outline, his very shape, was shifting. Shifting and _growing._

Paralyzed with fear, she stared up, _way_ up, into the same piercing blue eyes. Her mouth hung open.

A strong gust of wind ripped through her hair, tangling in it, as it traversed the meadow.

She was barely noticed the warmth that spread down her legs to pool at her feet.

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A/N

Yep, I know. No names. There's a reason for that. You'll just have to trust me for now. And I promise, in the next chapter, they have names – and by golly, they use 'em!!! Hehehehe!

And the "man" in these first two chapters **IS** a Transformer character. I've left subtle little clues throughout the story as to his identity. What I'd love, is to hear from all of you, telling me who you think he is. Bonus points if you think you know what's going on with the girl too!

There is already some artwork to go with this story arc, but I won't be linking it till after the next chapter, cos well I don't want to ruin the surprise!

Anyway, it picks up sharply from here, so please come back when the next chapter goes up – there's gonna be a whole bunch of action in it. Just please be patient while I spit it out. Don't worry; I'm as anxious to post it as you are to read it! XD


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